This invention relates to a drinking water supply apparatus for animals and particularly an apparatus which includes a heating means for maintaining a heat supply to the water to prevent freezing in cold climatic conditions.
In many areas where the outside temperature drops well below freezing there is severe danger that animal drinking water supplies will freeze so the animal no longer has access to drinking water. This can become very dangerous and many expensive animals can be lost unless the animal handler carefully watches the water supply situation.
Many designs of drinking water supply apparatus have therefore been proposed which include a heat source to prevent the water from freezing. However, these devices have generally been unsatisfactory and farmers are left with a serious concern that the device will fail. This problem therefore remains a significant problem for the average farmer responsible for the well-being of a number of animals kept in conditions in which the apparatus can freeze.
It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a drinking water supply apparatus which includes a heat source to prevent freezing of the drinking water.
According to the invention, therefore, there is provided a drinking water supply apparatus for animals comprising a container having a substantially vertical wall means terminating at a horizontal upper edge defining an open top, a water containing reservoir mounted on the container so as to engage the container at the upper edge and to depend into the container such that the base of the reservoir is received within the container, a transverse support member connected to the vertical wall means so as to define an upper horizontal support surface of the support member within the container for the reservoir, the support member comprising a hollow closed body containing a liquid heat transfer medium, and an electrical heating element mounted on the hollow body of the support member so as to heat the liquid transfer medium within the hollow body to provide heat to the reservoir through the horizontal support surface.
Preferably the reservoir comprises a flexible bowl formed of rubber or the like which has a base sitting upon the transverse support member. Preferably the transverse support member comprises a hollow rectangular tube which is supported at each end on sides of the container. Preferably the amount of water in the reservoir is controlled by detecting the flexing of the flexible bowl in relation to the weight of the water within the bowl thus actuating a solenoid controlled water supply when the bowl moves upwardly in response to a reduction in the weight of the water.
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: